East Hibari
Population: 8,150 (96% Humans, 5% Halflings, 5% Gnomes) Government: Plutocracy Religions: All Imports: Wood, Meat Exports: Cotton, Fish Alignment: All Life and Society Being ruled by a plutocracy, East Hibari has very few taxes, tariffs and laws prohibiting all kinds of businesses. As a result, Gladus is one of the major ports in the Island-Nation Confederacy, and the entire nation benefits as a result. In the ports of Gladus, products from all over can be found. While many of these vessels are not actually unloading their cargo, and are more or less stopping in port to resupply and rest, this still injects money into the local currency. In an effort to attract businesses of all kinds, since gaining its independence, East Hibari has gone through great pains to strengthen her infrastructure. As a result, her two cities, Gladus and Bluesprings, have cobblestone-paved streets, to make it easier for cards to move up and down her streets, regular patrols to prevent highway robbery during the transit of goods around the island, Because of the relative high cost of meat, because of the few large animals that live on the island, causing large amounts of meat to be imported from elsewhere, the diet of the average resident is composed of a lot of vegetables and fish. Stews are very popular among all classes. Obviously, because the rich possess more wealth, they eat meats of all kinds a lot more frequently than peasants, who eat meats either in small quantities, such as in stews and soups, or during times of celebration. Major Organizations East Hibari Trade Council Major Geographic Features Gaiten enjoys a climate that is fairly consistent for most of the year. The lowest lows have been recorded at about 40, and the highest highs have been recorded at about 70 degrees. Overall, the island enjoys mild winters and mild summers. Because of this fact, coupled with the great amounts of sunshine and rain that the island experiences, various crops can be grown with ease all over the island. Most of Gaiten is rolling hill land, with small bogs all throughout. As a result, the most common plant on the island are various forms of grasses. Cottongrass grows all over, and is one of the main crops of both Hibari and East Hibari. Other, non-commercially harvested plants include orchids, and daisies. Gaiten has a fairly limited list of native land mammals, because of its location. Common animals include smaller mammals, such as fox, shrew, badger, and similar small creatures. There are various birds that make their home on the island, however. The wren and the swallow are the two most common, though various seabirds live in the nearby seas, and mate on the island. Important Sites Gladus Bluesprings Regional History Until fairly recently, East Hibari was simply a part of the Kingdom of Hibari, on the island of Gaiten. It was only recently that the people of the eastern locales of Hibari- mainly those in Gladus- decided to take matters into their own hands, and secede from Hibari, forming their own nation. For as long as the Kingdom of Hibari has existed, the Durrol family have been firmly in charge of it, as the absolute rulers of the country. In the year 832, various nobles and merchants in the country sought to remove the queen at the time, Queen Larinda, and install someone else. The coup failed, and harsh penalties were placed on those who tried to have the queen removed. Primary among them was a tax that nearly hobbled the various industries in Hibari, and taxed them all a blanket 35% of their yearly earnings, in addition to normal taxes and license fees. They were also forbid to band together and form larger unions. For many years, things just went on as normal, and merchants simply sucked it in and trudged on. In the year 1000, the East Hibari Trade Company was formed, in secret. The East Hibari Trade Council was a guild of sorts created by various influential merchants in the city of Gladus that allowed various merchants of different products and services to pool their resources and information, to allow them all to achieve higher profits. For many years, this illicit organization continued to exist, and merchants began to benefit from it. Secretly, the word spread, and more and more merchants joined the organization, and it began growing in political power. By the end of the second decade of the year 1,000, some members began suggesting that the East Hibari Trade Council make itself known publicly, and that it use it’s influence to force the monarch, King Arenden to recognize it, and to repeal the various policies that made it difficult for merchants. One of the most influential members of the organization, Kathreen Omnidor, had a different idea. She proposed that eastern Hibari secede from Hibari, and that it become it’s own nation, ruled by the East Hibari Trade Council. Though, at first, the idea was met with fear, it soon caught on. In 1,029, from Gladus, the East Hibari Trade Council revealed itself, and declared their intent of independence from Hibari. As soon as King Arenden learned of the organization, and their intent, he rallied the army of Hibari, and sought to eliminate the East Hibari Trade Council and demonstrate to them that they were, and would always be, citizens of Hibari. The East Hibari Trade Council had foreseen this type of reaction, and footed a large army of their own. The resulting conflict would become known as the Hibari Civil War. Because the island of Gaiten isn’t that large, and the island had a fairly small population, the Hibari Civil War hasn’t especially devastating. It lasted for five years, and surprisingly, the casualties on both sides were fairly small. In the end, in 1,034, the East Hibari Trade Council claimed victory, and successfully seceded from Hibari, forming their own nation of East Hibari. Unlike the problem that plagues many newly established nations, East Hibari prospered immediately, because the East Hibari Trade Council, a plutocracy, ruled it. The nation signed various trade covenants with other islands in the area, which served as a precursor to the Island-Nation Covenant, a document that was signed by East Hibari, among other island nations, in 1,125.' ' Until the Island-Nation Covenant was signed, Hibari and East Hibari enjoyed poor relations. Neither government wanted anything to do with the other, and did not even maintain diplomatic contacts with each other. Because both nations signed the Island-Nation Covenant, both had to change their policies towards each other, to not violate the terms of the covenant. Since then, relations between the two neighboring nations have improved drastically. Both Hibari and East Hibari have signed treaties amongst each other, and today, both nations enjoy warm diplomatic relations.